This invention relates to devices and methods for playing games. More specifically, this invention relates to a device and method for playing a game of chance wherein indicia on a plurality of spinning wheels or representations of wheels are combined along one or more pay lines to produce a game outcome.
The gaming industry has long been trying to develop gaming devices that are more exciting and enjoyable to play. When gaming devices are more exciting and enjoyable, they tend to be played more by players and they tend to generate more revenue for the gaming device operator or provider.
For example, spinning reel gaming devices are well known in the prior art and have long been a staple of the gaming industry. These games utilize one or more actual or apparent cylindrical reels that spin around an axis in response to the player""s activation of the game. Game symbols are displayed on the outer circumference of the reels. Typically, the game is won and a prize is awarded when the game symbols on the reels provide a particular predetermined outcome shown when the reels stop spinning. As a result, a three-wheel game might provide a large award to the player if the outcome is three bars in a row displayed by the three co-axial and adjacent reels, as viewed by the player.
For wagering game tables, however, there have been much fewer tables that utilize spinning reels. One such example that has become well known in the industry is roulette. Roulette uses a wagering mat and a single separated spinning reel having a plurality of numbered receiving channels positioned peripherally around the center of the reel. Players place wagers on the wagering mat at one or more positions, wherein each position has a predetermined pay ratio depending on the probability of winning. The dealer then places a ball on an upper inwardly-angled edge of the reel and the reel is spun. As the reel slows and the centrifugal force on the ball becomes less than the gravitational force, the ball rolls toward the center of the reel and is captured in one of the numbered receiving channels, thereby indicating the winning wagers, if any.
These spinning reel games can be made more exciting to the player, and thus more likely to be played, by addition of features such as flashing lights, sounds, double bonus time-periods, and progressive linking of multiple such games to a common jackpot in addition to the local jackpot for each machine on its own. These methods of making spinning reel games more exciting and more utilized are well known in the art. However, they still present the game player with only a limited number of winning combinations.
With regard to roulette or spinning wheel games in the prior art, they typically also have the wheels mounted at their axial center on axial drive shafts. Mounting and rotating the wheel on an axial drive places significant stress on the drive shaft and associated drive and support structure. Also, an axial mount and drive mechanism is typically noisy and easily damaged or moved off-center during use or installation or movement of the game apparatus. Axial mounting also occupies significant space for the axial drive behind the wheel, and it requires significant additional and complicated structure in order to drive multiple concentric wheels independently.
One of the disadvantages of spinning reel gaming devices is that they only allow a player to see a small number of game symbols on the reels. Because of the physical curvature of a reel, it is generally only possible for a view of the symbols of on a reel to be within a players view. This is not the case with wheels. Wheels may have annular surfaces around the entire circumference of a wheel. Therefore, wheels cay display a greater number of symbols than reels.
The present invention comprises a wagering device that includes at least two groups of spinning wheels, wherein each group includes at least two concentric spinning wheels having a viewable surface face thereon. A plurality of indicia are positioned on the periphery of the viewable surface face of each wheel such that all indicia on each wheel is viewable to the user. Bet areas are positioned at various locations around at least a portion of each group of wheels; along a line joining the center of any two groups of wheels; and/or a junction between various radially positioned lines extending from the center of two or more groups of wheels. Each bet area represents a possible pay line with various pay ratios. For instance, a bet area directly outside a single group of wheels has the lowest pay ratio since only the indicia in line with the wheels of that group and the bet area must match a predetermined winning combination. A bet area along a pay line joining the center of two groups of wheels requires a predetermined winning combination indicia on all wheels in both groups and thus, has a higher pay ratio than a single wheel group pay line. A bet area that is a junction between three center lines, for example, of three groups of wheels would have an even higher pay ratio due to the lower probability associated with the predetermined winning combination needed from all three wheels in all three groups.
There are many other aspects of the invention that are apparent from this. For example, any combination of two or more groups of wheels may be utilized. In addition, any number of two or more wheels may be utilized in each group. As another example, in the preferred embodiment, three groups of wheels, each group having three concentric wheels, are evenly positioned in a generally clover formation such that the two-group pay lines joining the center of each group form a generally isosceles triangle, and wherein the highest three-group combination bet area is generally formed at the center of the isosceles triangle with pay lines extending to the center of each group.
It is therefore an advantage of the present invention to provide a game-of-chance apparatus and method that is more exciting for the player and thus more likely to be played.
It is another advantage of the present invention is that it allows players to place wagers on many different outcomes of a single game.
It is another advantage of the present invention to provide a table-wagering game that is utilized more than prior art games and thus generates more revenue and profits for the game owner and gaming establishment.
It is another advantage of the present invention to provide a xe2x80x9cspinning reelxe2x80x9d look and feel for a game that is utilized more than prior art games and thus generates more revenue and profits for the game owner and gaming establishment.
Yet another advantage is to provide a table-wagering game that can be played with a multitude of players and with or without a live operator.
Yet another advantage is to provide a xe2x80x9cslot machinexe2x80x9d type of game, thus allowing the game to be played at any time by one player and without any help from any other player or operator.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that it provides a wagering game-of-chance apparatus having a plurality of spinning wheels grouped in a plurality of groups thereby providing a multitude of wagering opportunities and pay lines and, thus a multitude of possible winning combinations.
A still further advantage is that the invention provides such a game in which the multiple wheels are concentric and preferably rotate or stop rotation in sequence.
A further advantage is that the invention provides a multi-wheeled game that is quieter and more durable and long lasting than prior multi-wheeled games. A related advantage is providing such a game with a more precise yet relatively simple drive mechanism for driving independent rotation of the wheels. A still further related advantage is providing such multi-wheeled game with resilient and reliable radial drive gears. Another advantage is providing a multi-wheeled game in which the wheel drive need not occupy as much space as conventional axial drive wheel games.
A further advantage of the present invention is that it provides a multi-wheeled game apparatus and method in which the multiple wheels can all be viewed by the player without moving from place to place and, preferably, are all mounted together in a manner that occupies approximately the same floor space as a traditional, single game slot machine or table game.
There are other advantages of the present invention. They will become apparent as the specification proceeds.
In this regard, it is to be understood that the scope of the present invention is to be determined by reference to the accompanying claims, and not necessarily by whether any given embodiment achieves all of the objects or advantages stated herein.